


Extra Credit

by Pyrasaur



Category: My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic
Genre: Comedy, Friendship, Gen, Life Lessons, Missing Scene
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-01-22
Updated: 2013-01-22
Packaged: 2017-11-26 10:41:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 955
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/649675
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pyrasaur/pseuds/Pyrasaur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Discord's study of friendship has just begun.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Extra Credit

**Author's Note:**

> This is based on the episode Keep Calm And Flutter On. I thought the story had some great potential, but it was just too time-constrained to properly explore. And why was Fluttershy the sole source of friendship? Isn't group friendship the entire point of this show? So here's an AU-ish, missing-pieces look at Discord playing nice with the ponies in his own special way. (There were originally going to be more chapters with Discord visiting all the ponies, but I forgot my own plans. So. Oneshot.)

     It took a few days, but there came a knock at Fluttershy's door. She welcomed her strange friend back inside. 

     "It's good to see you again," Fluttershy told him. "How are you doing?"  
     "To be honest, my dear …" Discord flopped his serpentine self into a hammock made of Fluttershy's now-magically-suspended living room curtains. "Friendship is exquisite and all, but I don't see how a fellow is supposed to have any _fun_."  
     Fluttershy eyed the curtains. When he was finished with his hammock, hopefully Discord would put the curtains neatly back where he found them. "You can't have fun?" she asked. "What do you mean?"  
     "Oh, it's simply all this _compromising!_ " Discord waved his taloned hand in circles. "Be nice, be civil, leave the buildings where they are, don't turn anything into a rampaging giant squid. Honestly, you ponies can be so _stiff_."  
     "Hmm."

     While she thought, Fluttershy picked up a knife in her mouth and cut up a snack for the two of them -- some nice, healthy carrot sticks and apple slices. She supposed that the magic of friendship was a big change for Discord. Maybe he had never, _ever_ done anything but awful evil chaotic things for thousands and thousands of years. Oh, dear -- Fluttershy didn't really want to think about that. She carefully put the knife down. 

     "Well, it can be scary, not knowing what to do."  
     "I am certainly not scared," he retorted.  
     "Oh, I know. You've already made the hardest decision." Picking up a plateful of wholesome treats -- which she had arranged into a cute smiley face -- Fluttershy flapped up to Discord's eye level. She offered, with a kind smile of her own.  
     When he was humbled like this, Discord reminded her of a puppy. A sweet baby puppy with his ears drooping, like he had just realized he was one creature in a very big world. But the look faded quickly this time. Watching Fluttershy carefully, Discord lifted his lion paw and accepted the plate.  
     "When you make a new friend," Fluttershy went on, "sometimes you have to change yourself a little bit to get along with them. And then you start to _like_ the bit of difference in who you are."  
     Apple and carrot pieces twirled around Discord's head like a magical garland. "And when have you had to change yourself, Fluttershy?" He bit the apple slices out of the air one by one, gulped them down, reached to his nose and pulled out an apple core, which he folded into an origami bird that flew away out the window and turned into alphabet soup. Goodness. That was weird.  
     "U-Um. Well … I-I go to the spa with Rarity?" Fluttershy tucked her hooves close to her chest. "When we first became friends, she asked me if I wanted to join her for a mud facial. And I was a little bit scared because I didn't know what ponies do at a spa, a-and I didn't really like the idea of being covered in mud … So I almost said no. But then I thought about how much it would mean to Rarity if we spent time together! So I promised Rarity I'd go. Actually, it turned out that the spa wasn't that scary at all. The attendants are very nice, and they know which kind of conditioner is just right for my mane."  
     "I had wondered," Discord said, "how you kept that flowing mane of yours so free of split ends."  
     "Thank you!" Fluttershy didn't really like his sarcastic tone, to be honest, but it was still a nice gesture to compliment somepony's mane. She smiled. "I meet Rarity for a full spa treatment every week. I think she's helped me become an itty bit braver."  
     Discord rolled over onto his stomach, folding his mismatched hands and perching his chin on top of them. He stared intently at Fluttershy, carrot sticks still twirling in the air around him. "So, what you're saying is that there's a _point_ to all the compromising?"  
     "Oh, yes, there is! It's a big part of friendship."  
     "Hmph." 

     His eyes darting, his lips pursing around his snaggle tooth, Discord was quiet for a moment. Then he got up out of his hammock.      "Compromising is also what buys me my freedom, so I suppose it's worth a try! Which one of your friends should I visit first?"  
     "Um." Fluttershy blinked. "Pardon me?"  
     "I _am_ allowed to have more than one friend, am I not?"  
     "O-Oh!" Relieved and terrified at the same time, Fluttershy beamed at him. "Of course you are! Um. Well. I think the best pony to start with would be Pinkie Pie." Fluttershy seemed to recall invitations to a Pinkie Pie party tomorrow: maybe Discord would find that fun. After all, Pinkie and her parties could make almost anyone into a new friend.  
     "The Element of Laughter it is!" Discord took the now-cube-shaped mass of carrot sticks and popped it into his mouth. Then, with smooth grace, he swept a hand to his chest and bowed deep. "Thank you for the snack, my dear Fluttershy. Please, allow me to clean up."  
     "Of course, Discord! That's very thoughtful of you."  
     In the time it took him to grin, the curtains transformed into a cloud of blue butterflies, the knife was washed and gift-wrapped with a bow on top, and the apple and carrot trimmings flew into the trash can which was now stuck to the ceiling. Then, with a snap of his fingers, Discord was gone.

     Cringing, Fluttershy looked around. He _had_ done some cleaning up, to be fair. And she _did_ like butterflies better than she liked plain old curtains. Fluttershy very carefully landed. She supposed that just this once, everything was fine where it was …


End file.
